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Happy Twelfth Night!

Here are some Viola/Cesarios to celebrate!

Although it may not seem particularly festive to modern audience, the title of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night actually references the twelfth night of Christmas (marking the coming Epiphany), with some scholars theorising that it was first performed on the 6th January 1601 for Queen Elizabeth’s Twelfth Night celebrations. Christmas in the Elizabethan period was associated with revels, misrule and inversion of the social order - where servants were the masters for the day and children could be crowned mock-bishops. Therefore, the play’s deconstruction social roles, particularly gender roles, would have come across as very christmassy to Elizabethan audiences.

Johnny Flynn and Anita-Joy Uwajeh’s perform as Viola/Cesario in my two favourite performances of Twelfth Night: the 2012 and the 2017 Globe performances! I think they both showcase polar opposite styles of adapting the play and how they can both shine: the 2012 production is more traditional in that it reproduces much of the original performance context (Elizabethan setting, all-male cast etc) but is very watchable and honestly hilarious. Mark Rylance as Olivia especially is a highlight - he is so very elegant but is also able to make Olivia on par with the other characters in terms of comedy, despite her usually more serious role. You might recognise Johnny Flynn as Mr Knightley in Emma (2020) but he also slays hard as Viola! The 2017 production, on the other hand, showcases the strengths of modernisations of Shakespeare - I actually saw this one in person in 2017 as I was doing Twelfth Night for A-level at the time, and it was just unforgettable! The setting is shifted to 1970s Scotland and imho translates a lot of the original elements in ways that would resonate in a similar way for contemporary audiences- with songs, dance numbers and some hilarious added dialogue/quips. Even the comic characters (Sir Toby Belch and co) who are often hard to translate for modern audiences were hilarious and I found myself excited to see them come on stage. A huge stand-out is Le Gateau Chocolat as Feste, who has an incredible voice. Having a drag performer play Feste is honestly a great modern analogy as she’s a performer who takes tips, is able to question social norms with her art in ways that allow her to be the most insightful character, and is also inkeeping with the play’s exploration of gender. Of course, Anita- Joy Uwajeh was absolutely fantastic as Viola too. You can watch recordings of both productions on the Globe-player if you’re interested!

I couldn't find anywhere to watch the 2009 Shakespeare in the Park production of Twelfth Night starring Anne Hathaway as Viola/Cesario but honestly I just wanted to draw her anyway <3 In the last few years a promo shot from this production became a really popular 'draw your OT3' meme which I myself have indulged in - it'd be cool if there was a way for more people to watch this given the resurgence of interest!

Tumblr- isablooo.tumblr.com/post/73879…

Description

Happy Twelfth Night!

Here are some Viola/Cesarios to celebrate!

Although it may not seem particularly festive to modern audience, the title of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night actually references the twelfth night of Christmas (marking the coming Epiphany), with some scholars theorising that it was first performed on the 6th January 1601 for Queen Elizabeth’s Twelfth Night celebrations. Christmas in the Elizabethan period was associated with revels, misrule and inversion of the social order - where servants were the masters for the day and children could be crowned mock-bishops. Therefore, the play’s deconstruction social roles, particularly gender roles, would have come across as very christmassy to Elizabethan audiences.

Johnny Flynn and Anita-Joy Uwajeh’s perform as Viola/Cesario in my two favourite performances of Twelfth Night: the 2012 and the 2017 Globe performances! I think they both showcase polar opposite styles of adapting the play and how they can both shine: the 2012 production is more traditional in that it reproduces much of the original performance context (Elizabethan setting, all-male cast etc) but is very watchable and honestly hilarious. Mark Rylance as Olivia especially is a highlight - he is so very elegant but is also able to make Olivia on par with the other characters in terms of comedy, despite her usually more serious role. You might recognise Johnny Flynn as Mr Knightley in Emma (2020) but he also slays hard as Viola! The 2017 production, on the other hand, showcases the strengths of modernisations of Shakespeare - I actually saw this one in person in 2017 as I was doing Twelfth Night for A-level at the time, and it was just unforgettable! The setting is shifted to 1970s Scotland and imho translates a lot of the original elements in ways that would resonate in a similar way for contemporary audiences- with songs, dance numbers and some hilarious added dialogue/quips. Even the comic characters (Sir Toby Belch and co) who are often hard to translate for modern audiences were hilarious and I found myself excited to see them come on stage. A huge stand-out is Le Gateau Chocolat as Feste, who has an incredible voice. Having a drag performer play Feste is honestly a great modern analogy as she’s a performer who takes tips, is able to question social norms with her art in ways that allow her to be the most insightful character, and is also inkeeping with the play’s exploration of gender. Of course, Anita- Joy Uwajeh was absolutely fantastic as Viola too. You can watch recordings of both productions on the Globe-player if you’re interested!

I couldn't find anywhere to watch the 2009 Shakespeare in the Park production of Twelfth Night starring Anne Hathaway as Viola/Cesario but honestly I just wanted to draw her anyway <3 In the last few years a promo shot from this production became a really popular 'draw your OT3' meme which I myself have indulged in - it'd be cool if there was a way for more people to watch this given the resurgence of interest!

Tumblr- isablooo.tumblr.com/post/73879…